Tuesday, December 27, 2011

i thought my three little nieces would get a kick out of having a puppet theater of their own...

so i used a thrifted sheet for the main part, a t-shirt for the curtain, and some on hand fabric for the border of the window. a curtain rod keeps it in place, and a dowel in the bottom of the window frame keeps the opening from sagging.

awhile back, while searching for some cool fabrics, i came across her blog... and, to my surprise, and luck!, she lives just a few towns over from me! what a small world!

liz was kind enough to package up bags and bags of scraps of the super cool fabrics that she designs, and give them a new home, right here, in my own fabric stash. since then, i've used them in lots of my projects... like here... and here... and here... and i LOVE them!

now, aside from her fabrics, liz has some pretty awesome taste... check out her finds when she goes thrifting. i've GOT to tag along with her one of these days. now that i say that publicly, don't you HAVE to let me, liz??? pleeeaaase???!!!???

and lastly, in addition to all that creative talent liz has, she's such a sweet person... and a lovely mama, too. since that meeting liz's wonderful home... we've kept in touch. i'm so glad our paths have crossed!

and now, she has been kind enough to spread some of her creativity this way. with my first guest post... and my first giveaway! thank you, so much, liz!

Hi, my name is Liz Scott and I am doing a guest post here today on A Happy Wanderer. Isn't it awesome when online friends become real life pals? That is how it happened with Heather and I. I am a fabric designer and Heather found my website and blog one day and contacted me about purchasing a few bags of my fabric scraps. Turns out we both live in Los Angeles and she was able to pick up the scraps in person rather than have them shipped. I knew from the moment she pulled up in her blue Prius that we were going to be friends. We have stayed in contact ever since, sharing play dates and birthday parties. Heather's grace and presence in parenting is downright inspiring and it does my heart good to see such a lovely family grow from three to four.

So, while Heather is busy with her little ones, lets talk fabric, shall we? I am a graphic designer by trade and love to sew and craft morning, noon and night. Somewhere around 3 years ago, I decided to switch my focus from paper products to fabric. I started designing, uploading and printing fabric with a service called Spoonflower and selling it in my Etsy shop. I was encouraged by the positive response that I received and realized I could get my designs out there to a larger audience if I licensed them to a fabric manufacturer. I contacted several of the bigger companies and Moda licensed my first line Sugar Pop! That was pretty amazing! And my second line Domestic Bliss is shipping to stores this month. Look for it in your favorite online fabric shops including Fabric Worm and Fat Quarter Shop.

Here is a peek:

Would you like to win some? Awesome! Heather and I are doing a little giveaway. Leave a comment on this post (with your email address) and we will select one winner via random number generator to receive a Jelly Roll from the Domestic Bliss Line. We will close the comments on Friday the 16th at 5 pm PST and announce the winner on Saturday the 17th. Be sure to check back to see if you have won!

I also want to share with you a simple craft project that I have been doing a lot lately. These felt greeting cards are great to do with little ones and a snap to whip up. A few afternoons ago, I turned on the Christmas tree lights, brewed a cup of tea, and put on some jingle-y tunes and tried some holiday themed cards. Here is how you can make some too:

FeltHolidayCards

You will need:

Felt in assorted colors. Wool felt is easier to work with, but I used a mix of both wool and synthetic here for the most color variety.

8.5 x 11 card stock in different colors

Scissors for paper

ruler

Aleene's Original Tacky Glue

Micron marker

PDF pattern printout (or design your own)

Nice to have but not totally necessary:

Cutting mat

X acto knife

Embroidery scissors for cutting felt

1.Cut card stock in half widthwise so you have two pieces measuring 8.5 x 5.5.

4. Place pattern pieces right side down and trace pattern pieces onto felt using the Micron marker. Cut designs from the felt and turn over (this way you don't have to worry about any lingering marks from your marker) I like Micron markers because they have a superfine tip and offer better control when drawing on something as soft as felt. I use embroidery scissors to cut the designs from the felt because they have a small pointy tip and again, offer better control. Arrange your felt pieces on the card stock.

5. Dab glue on the back of the pieces of feltandapply to the card. No worries if you get a little messy with the glue, Aleene's dries clear. I love the stuff.

Thursday, December 1, 2011

why i am a wanderer...

when i was little, i was in a day camp called "the happy wanderers." i've always thought that was a funny name...endearing, i guess. and now, many years later, i find that it suits me again. i'm learning as i go, and going as i learn. and i'm truly happy as i wander through it all.